Microsoft Certification: Your Career Is Waiting!

by: Scott Elliott


Microsoft, a leader in the IT industry, has developed a number of certification programs for professionals working in the business. The programs allow you to decide which certification is appropriate and best suited for your career. There are over 2 million IT professionals with Microsoft certification. You can join their ranks and greatly enhance your professional career with Microsoft Certification. It's important to note that Microsoft has restructured their programs to be very targeted. Microsoft provides plenty of support as you study for your various certifications. The training includes classroom training, self-study kits, computer-based training, online classes, and books, and certification guides. You can take advantage of the way that you learn best. Depending on the career path you have chosen, you will find a certification that matches your skill set. Microsoft plans to, over time, introduce exams that rely on simulations and performance items. You start by taking the appropriate entry- level certification. Prepare yourself with the most suitable Microsoft Certification Guides. You need to choose the right guide. A list follows of the various Certification Guides you can choose from. Match you expertise with these guides. MCSE certification (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) is an industry standard targeted at the IT professional and provides the skills and training needed to design and implement infrastructure functions based on the Microsoft Windows® 2000 platform and Microsoft server software such as MCSE Messaging and Security. MCSA certification (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) is for IT professionals who need skills and knowledge to administer system environments based on desktop and server operator systems. This training focuses on managing and troubleshooting system environments. With this level of certification you can now prepare for specializations like MCSA Security and Messaging. MCDST certification (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) is for students who need the right skills and training to troubleshoot ordinary hardware and software issues in Microsoft Windows environments. MCAD.NET certification (Microsoft Certified Application Developer ) provides you with the skills and knowledge that allows you to develop and maintain department level applications for Web clients, desktop client, components, and back-end data services all the way from development to maintenance. MCSD.NET certification (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developers) is for IT professionals with the skills and knowledge needed for developing and designing leading edge business solutions by using various Microsoft tools, platforms, technologies and architectures. This certification allows you to develop custom .NET-based applications. This training encompasses everything from analysis to design, development, testing and maintenance using Microsoft development tools, technologies, and platforms. You become an expert on all aspects of the application life cycle. MCITP certification (Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Administrator) is for IT professionals who need to plan, administer, deploy, support and maintain databases created by using various Microsoft products. MCITP certification (Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Developer) gives you the skills and knowledge to plan, deploy, support, maintain and optimize IT infrastructures and databases created by using Microsoft products such as Windows Application Developer, Web Application Developer, or Enterprise Applications Developer. MCPD certification (Microsoft Certified Professional Web Developer) distinguishes expert professionals who are Windows application developers, Web application developers, and enterprise application developers. Experts with these skills can build targeted applications using different platforms in the Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0. MCPD certification (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer) is for students who need to distinguish themselves as an expert in comprehensive Windows application development, enterprise application, and Web application development using platforms that use the Microsoft.NET Framework. This certification is a stepping- stone to other Microsoft certifications. MCTS.NET 2.0 certification (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) is designed fir IP professionals who target specific technologies and demonstrate in-depth knowledge of .NET 2.0 and other specialized Microsoft technologies. MCTS.NET 2.0 certification (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) is for IT professionals who work with enterprise environment databases. It provides students with in-depth training and skills for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 product. MOS certification (Microsoft Office Specialist) is designed for IT professionals who need the skills and knowledge to understand and use the advanced features of Microsoft Office software. MOS MI certification (Microsoft Office Master Instructor) qualifies you to teach MOS courses. Microsoft Certified Architect Program is designed for IT professionals who can apply successful frameworks and methodologies to create an architecture from beginning to end, through the IT life cycle. CLC certification (Microsoft Certified Learning Consultant) is a credential for expertise in designing and delivering customized learning solutions for other IT professionals. MCBDA certification (Microsoft Certified Database Administrators) are trained to design, implement and administer Microsoft SQL Server databases. MCT certification (Microsoft Certified Trainers) are instructors who are qualified to deliver Microsoft training courses. MCTs are authorized to deliver Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) or Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN).

About The Author
Scott Elliott owns and operates http://www.it-certification-guides.com IT Certification Guides for Microsoft Certifications.

Blogging for Fun and Profit

by: Lewis Low


A blog is an online version of diary where people write and display almost anything - their opinions, photos, jokes, thoughts for the day and more. People also share stories about their pets, their passion for soccer, stamps... the limit is only your imagination! In the last few years, blogging has emerged to become a much more meaningful activity than simply maintaining a personal diary. People use it to advertise their products and services, in fact, quite a number of companies even create their online presence by using a blog instead of a website. Create Your Own Blog Starting a blog is free. You can create one at http://www.blogger.com - a free service from Google Inc. You don't need to register a domain name or buy hosting. When you sign up at Blogger, everything happens online. Your blog will be hosted by Blogger and you get an URL like http://yourdomain.blogspot.com. You simply log in to your account and start to write. This is much easier and cheaper than buying your own domain and hosting, then hiring someone to do the web design, writing and coding. Another free blogging service available online is WordPress which is also very popular and easy to use. WordPress supports more features than Blogger while allowing you to customize your blog with various plug-in. You can check it out at http://wordpress.org. Monetize Your Blog While blogging for your own interest, you can in fact maximize the potential of your blog for many marketing or commercial purposes. The quickest and easiest way to turn a blog into a money-making enterprise is to include advertising on your blog. This can be done with contextual ad programs like Adsense - an advertising program by Google. Basically, you get paid when people click on the ads displayed on your website or blog. Google Adsense program is free to sign up. You can visit http://www.google.com/adsense to learn more about the rules and guidelines of the program. Other Adsense type ads that you can use for blog monetizing are SearchFeed, AdBrite, and Yahoo's Publisher’s Network (YPN). Affiliate program is another potential way to make money blogging. By focusing on the subject of your blog post, you can promote relevant products from cost per sale affiliate programs like ClickBank and Amazon. You can write a review about the product or service with your affiliate links embedded inside so you get the commission whenever a sale is made. Boost Your Blog Traffic Blogs are quickly indexed by search engines, but you need to update it regularly. Search engines love fresh content and regular update will ensure that your website is indexed and ranked high up as well. The higher up it appears, the more traffic will come to your site, which means more sales. You can actively participate in forums discussion or post comments on other blogs to get more link back traffic. Whether you use your blog for fun or for work, remember that it’s a highly potential tool any which way. So what are you waiting for? Start blogging away right now!

About The Author
Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com. For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at http://www.OnlineBizPromo.com

Ten Ways to Write Great Blog Posts That Get Attention

by: Courtland Bovee


Millions of blogs fight for readership online (over 75 million by some counts), with thousands more being created every day. Making yours stand above the rest may seem like a daunting task, but here are ten suggestions for making your blog posts stand out from the crowd. 1. Write each post title so it grabs the reader's attention. It is the first thing someone reads, and it should get your reader's attention right away. Your title should both pique the reader's interest and be informative. Do not write "Business Writing Advice"; instead, say "The Best-Kept Secret to Reducing Your Business Writing Worries." Longer titles have the advantage of describing in detail what your post is about; 8-12 words are a good range. 2. Keep sentences short and clear. A little goes a long way. Readers are busy people and they will not spend hours detangling complex syntax or sifting through blocks of text. Also, use strong language. Start a new paragraph every few sentences, and limit each post to 250 words, if possible. If you cannot write it in under 250 words, split it into two entries. 3. Break up the text. Use numbered lists, bullet points, and subheadings to make your posts easy to scan. Lots of white space on the page is a good thing-it allows your reader to take mental breaks and let the knowledge soak in. In addition, with the inevitable clutter of banner ads and side text, this technique puts some distance between your writing and all those distractions. 4. Keep current. No one wants to read old news. Your job is to stay up-to-date so your readers do not have to themselves. Read newspapers. Scour the web for references. For example, if you write a blog about business communication, subscribe to Google News Alerts using keywords related to the field, such as blogs, podcasting, instant messaging, business letters, memos, and business reports, so you will always be well informed. Posting items from last month or last year will lose your reader's interest faster than you can say "Enron." 5. Be bold. Timidity is an easy path to anonymity. Do not be afraid to create and state your opinions. Of course, there are some situations in which objectivity rules-but you have to give people a reason to read this blog by you and not by the person next door. 6. Be accurate. If you make a statement, be prepared to back it up. Know what your sources are and quote them accurately. Misinformation spreads like wildfire online; do not be the spark that sets it off or the wind that fans it. 7. Contribute to the conversation. Links are great-but then what? Do not just post links to the same tired sites, offer your reader something new. Contribute to the conversation. Your goal is to be the site to which everyone else is linking-so you had better have something worth writing about. 8. Stay focused. Once you have defined the theme of your blog, stick to it. A blog about piggy banks has no business posting about the latest innovation in alternative energy. Such a deviance will only confuse your reader and chip away at your virtual authority. 9. Use key words liberally. Keywords are, well, key. Harness your blog's search engine potential by dousing your title and post with effective keywords that will help interested parties find your page in the vast, muddled blogosphere. This is one of the most important elements of getting your blog read-go at it with gusto. 10. Be consistent. Keep a schedule and stick to it. Post frequently-at least several times per week if you want to increase your potential of attracting new readers. Let your blog languish for weeks without updates and your audience will move on to fresher ground. Maintaining an informative blog that people want to read takes hard work and good writing skills. Find what makes your writing unique-and flaunt it for all it is worth.

About The Author
Courtland L. Bovee, one of America's leading instructors in clear and effective communication, co-authors several leading college-level texts with John V. Thill, a prominent communications consultant and current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Communication Strategies. Their website, Business Communication Headline News, the #1 business communication site on the web, is at http://www.businesscommunicationheadlinenews.com